Breaking News…ALA Youth Media Awards

One of the most exciting days at ALA Midwinter is Monday morning when the Youth Media Awards are announced. While I could not attend this year, fortunately, I could still view the excitement at home as I watched the ALA live webcast.

Of course, I was interested in all the winners, but I always pay particular attention to which Graphic Novels gain mention…..

This year, Stitches: A memoir by David Small was honored with an Alex Award. This award is given for ten adult books which have a strong YA appeal. In my opinion, this is the perfect place for the award. It’s clearly an adult book, but no one can deny the teen appeal in this title.

Esther Keller is the librarian at JHS 278, Marine Park in Brooklyn, NY. There she started the library's first graphic novel collection and strongly advocated for using comics in the classroom. Her collection is also the model for all middle school libraries in NYC. She started her career at the Brooklyn Public Library, and later jumped ship to the school system so she could have summer vacation and a job that would align with a growing family's schedule. On the side, she is a mother of 3 and regularly reviews for SLJ, LMC. In her past life, she served on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee where she solidified her love and dedication to comics.

About Good Comics For Kids

We are a group of librarians, parents, and writers--and most of us wear at least two of those hats--who started writing about kids' comics in 2008 because, well, nobody else was. We like everything from Literary Graphic Novels to blatantly commercial (but fun!) licensed properties. And we don't lump all ages together; we're smart enough to know that a three-year-old has different abilities and interests than a 13-year-old.

Our goal is to cover kids' comics (for readers from birth to age 16) with both breadth and depth, through a mix of news, reviews, interviews, and previews, and to be both accessible to casual readers and interesting enough for serious fans.